Brown hopes to make HiToms successful again

Published: Monday, May 27, 2013 at 11:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, May 27, 2013 at 11:06 p.m.

THOMASVILLE | Zach Brown was an integral part of the 2006 HiToms squad that won the first Petitt Cup championship in team history.

The Coastal Plain League team, which plays its home games at Finch Field in Thomasville, hopes Brown can help revive the franchise to that status once again.

Brown, who graduated from The Citadel and now serves as an assistant coach at Furman, liked what he saw on a warm Memorial Day afternoon watching the team practice — the HiToms open the season at Forest City on Tuesday, then hold their home opener Wednesday against Asheboro. "I love Thomasville, I loved playing here," Brown said. "And it wasn't just because of the short porch in right.

"It was a packed house most nights, a good crowd, the community really got into it. From what I hear lately, that hasn't been the case."

The team's success, since winning three straight league titles beginning with that 2006 season, has slipped slightly in recent years. The HiToms made the playoffs in 2011 but were eliminated in the first round, then finished 24-30 last season and did not qualify for the postseason.

"Hopefully, this team right here can bring those people back out," Brown added. "It's good for the town and it's good for these kids if they mesh.

"I felt like I was a superstar here. Everybody knew you, the whole town would come out to watch, and that was what made it fun. If nobody's here to watch you, it's kind of hard to perform well."

Brown and team president Greg Suire, along with assistant coaches Wilson Boyd (another former HiTom who played at Clemson) and Shelton Cisson (a teammate of Brown's on the 2005 HiToms squad who is an assistant at his alma mater, Erskine College), have assembled what looks to be a squad that can return the HiToms to their glory days. Three of the biggest names on the team's roster – outfielder Mike White, left fielder Coco Johnson and shortstop Sutton Whiting — are starters at Louisville. That means the HiToms will have to wait on the Cardinals to get knocked out of the NCAA tournament before they arrive. Louisville is set to host a regional this weekend, and could be playing a while.

Brown's eyes also lit up when he talked about pitching prospect Hassan Evans, who just completed his freshman year at Herkimer Community College in New York. "I'm really excited about Hassan Evans, he's a great athlete," Brown said. "He's got a big-time arm. They've had him up to 97, 98 (mph) on the bump, and he was a draft pick out of JuCo.

"He's a center fielder who can really run, very physical. I think he'll flourish in this league."

Another player who hopes to flourish this summer is Ledford graduate Victor Zecca, who played at Finch Field a few summers as a member of the Post 87 American Legion team. Zecca has been at UNC Pembroke, but has seen much less action than he'd like. He hopes this summer he can re-ignite his career.

"As a kid I'd always come out here and watch them play," Zecca said. "So, it's been a thing for me, I've always wanted to come here to play.

"I haven't played that much this year, but I played pretty good when I did play. I'm hoping I can prove this summer that I deserve to be out here and start."

With seven members of the team coming from teams like Louisville, North Carolina and other teams who could be playing in the NCAA tournament for a while, Brown said now's the time to shine for players like Zecca. "Now's the time to show what you can do," he said. "I'm not partial to big schools or little schools. I'm partial to guys who can produce and put up numbers, and help the team win."

Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220 or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.

<p>THOMASVILLE | Zach Brown was an integral part of the 2006 HiToms squad that won the first Petitt Cup championship in team history.</p><p>The Coastal Plain League team, which plays its home games at Finch Field in Thomasville, hopes Brown can help revive the franchise to that status once again.</p><p>Brown, who graduated from The Citadel and now serves as an assistant coach at Furman, liked what he saw on a warm Memorial Day afternoon watching the team practice — the HiToms open the season at Forest City on Tuesday, then hold their home opener Wednesday against Asheboro. "I love Thomasville, I loved playing here," Brown said. "And it wasn't just because of the short porch in right.</p><p>"It was a packed house most nights, a good crowd, the community really got into it. From what I hear lately, that hasn't been the case."</p><p>The team's success, since winning three straight league titles beginning with that 2006 season, has slipped slightly in recent years. The HiToms made the playoffs in 2011 but were eliminated in the first round, then finished 24-30 last season and did not qualify for the postseason.</p><p>"Hopefully, this team right here can bring those people back out," Brown added. "It's good for the town and it's good for these kids if they mesh.</p><p>"I felt like I was a superstar here. Everybody knew you, the whole town would come out to watch, and that was what made it fun. If nobody's here to watch you, it's kind of hard to perform well."</p><p>Brown and team president Greg Suire, along with assistant coaches Wilson Boyd (another former HiTom who played at Clemson) and Shelton Cisson (a teammate of Brown's on the 2005 HiToms squad who is an assistant at his alma mater, Erskine College), have assembled what looks to be a squad that can return the HiToms to their glory days. Three of the biggest names on the team's roster – outfielder Mike White, left fielder Coco Johnson and shortstop Sutton Whiting — are starters at Louisville. That means the HiToms will have to wait on the Cardinals to get knocked out of the NCAA tournament before they arrive. Louisville is set to host a regional this weekend, and could be playing a while.</p><p>Brown's eyes also lit up when he talked about pitching prospect Hassan Evans, who just completed his freshman year at Herkimer Community College in New York. "I'm really excited about Hassan Evans, he's a great athlete," Brown said. "He's got a big-time arm. They've had him up to 97, 98 (mph) on the bump, and he was a draft pick out of JuCo.</p><p>"He's a center fielder who can really run, very physical. I think he'll flourish in this league."</p><p>Another player who hopes to flourish this summer is Ledford graduate Victor Zecca, who played at Finch Field a few summers as a member of the Post 87 American Legion team. Zecca has been at UNC Pembroke, but has seen much less action than he'd like. He hopes this summer he can re-ignite his career. </p><p>"As a kid I'd always come out here and watch them play," Zecca said. "So, it's been a thing for me, I've always wanted to come here to play.</p><p>"I haven't played that much this year, but I played pretty good when I did play. I'm hoping I can prove this summer that I deserve to be out here and start."</p><p>With seven members of the team coming from teams like Louisville, North Carolina and other teams who could be playing in the NCAA tournament for a while, Brown said now's the time to shine for players like Zecca. "Now's the time to show what you can do," he said. "I'm not partial to big schools or little schools. I'm partial to guys who can produce and put up numbers, and help the team win."</p><p>Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220 or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.</p>